One Bid
One Bid is a game played in contestant's row. When players win this game they get to play a Pricing Game. Gameplay Four contestants are selected by the announcer, and proceed to Contestant's Row. A prize is showcased, and each contestant gives a bid on it. The four contestants bid in order from left to right, and must bid as close as they can to the actual retail price without going over. Contestants bid in dollars and not cents (as the retail prices are rounded off to the nearest dollar) and may not bid the same amount as any player bid previously for that prize. The contestant who bids closest to the actual retail price without going over wins the prize and then gets to play a pricing game. For subsequent rounds, a new audience member is then selected to fill the vacated seat on Contestant's Row, and gives the first bid. If all four contestants' bids were higher than the prize's sticker price, a series of buzzers would sound, the lowest bid would be announced and the bids would be withdrawn, and the process would start over (lower than the announced lowest bid) until one contestant got a proper winning bid. Occasionally a contestant would bid the exact amount as the sticker price. In addition to winning, a bell would sound and the host would give the winner a bonus of a $100 cash prize from May 23, 1977 to December 31, 1998 and on November 10, 1998, the cash bonus was increased to $500. Contestants who were in Contestant's Row but failed to win a bid by the sixth game would be given various consolation prizes, which would be detailed by the announcer before the 2nd Showcase Showdown. As of 2012, the prize awards to contestants still in Contestant's Row is $300. In the 1994 version, there was a variation of One Bid called "The Price WAS Right". Early on, perfect bids weren't awarded a $100 bonus or any fanfare at all. This began in the second season. From then until around 1993, female contestants who placed a perfect bid were invited to reach into Bob Barker's jacket pocket for their $100 bonus. Male contestants were handed the money from Bob. Shortly after Dian left the show and sexual harassment rumors came out, Bob discontinued this practice, handing every contestant their bonus money regardless of gender, a practice still continued today with Drew Carey. Strategy Play There are two very common strategies in this game. They are usually done by the contestant bidding last, but occasionally you see them by people bidding earlier in the round: 1. One dollar bid: If you think all the other contestants are over, bid $1 on the prize, because it doesn't matter how far off you are from the actual price if everyone else is over. 2. Bidding one dollar more than the highest bid: On the other hand, if you believe everyone else is too low, bid $1 more than the highest bid anyone else placed so that you will be closest to the actual price without risking going over yourself. (Try to avoid the person you do this to for the rest of the taping, however, since this means that the person you do this to can only win if they have gotten their bid exactly right.) Foreign versions Every version of TPIR around the world uses the same format, with the only notable difference being cash bonuses for getting the price on the nose, while some, like Italy, do not award bonuses at all: Many contestants on foreign versions do not use the two strategies commonly used in the US. Behind the Scenes *When the one bid is in session, the control booth takes a look and a listen to who went over, who was below the retail price of the prize and who gave the exact bid. *When a perfect bid was given at anytime, the stage manager puts the cash bonus in the hosts' pocket. Category:Games Category:The Set